For the fist time in his six year career, Jack Swagger turned face in the summer of 2014 to feud with Rusev as the beloved patriot. It was evident from the get-go that he was only being built up to be ultimately fed to Rusev, but there was a hope among fans that he would be elevated by the overdue change in character. In his rivalry with Rusev, Swagger got over with the audience more than anyone expected him to. Yes, most of it had to do with his "We the People" catchphrase, but fans legitimately wanted to see Swagger be the one to hand Rusev his first loss in WWE. Had Rusev lost their Flag match at SummerSlam, he wouldn't have needed to get pinned and Swagger could have scored a meaningful victory, so it would have been a win-win. Not only did he come up short in that contest, he would lose to the Bulgarian Brute every time they faced off in the year that followed. The more things change, the more they stay the same, it seems.
Since 2008, Graham has been a diehard pro wrestling fan and, in 2010, he combined his passions for WWE and writing when he joined Bleacher Report. Equipped with a master's in journalism, Graham has contributed to WhatCulture, FanSided's Daily DDT, Sports Betting Dime, and GateHouse Media. Along the way, he has conducted interviews with wrestling superstars like Chris Jericho, Edge, Goldberg, Christian, Diamond Dallas Page, Jim Ross, Adam Cole, Tessa Blanchard, Ryback, and Nick Aldis among others.